Upgrading the network wiring infrastructure
Upgrading the network wiring infrastructure
Long time observer, new poster: I'm updating the bundled cabling at my place. Everything is CAT5 and it looks like the cables are twisted together in several spots, so it's time to change. My issue is that they're wrapped in a rubber-coated bundle with two coax cables and another CAT5 cable, all secured to the walls. Any tips on removing this without damaging walls or ceilings? I have a photo of the setup in the garage box from Leviton. Thanks ahead!
From the image, I believe the structure is at least 20-30 years old. Looking at the photo, it seems the cables run vertically through the walls into the attic, which suggests the house isn’t a two-story building. If that’s the case, the only option would be to go down into the attic, pull the wires up through the walls, and then drop them downstairs or out a window near the nearest opening. The main concern here is whether the cables are secured to the wall studs. Pulling them up could be quite challenging unless you’re very strong or have someone nearby who lifts heavy loads. There’s an advantage to this setup: you can attach the new cable to the end of the old one before pulling it up, allowing you to reuse the existing wire for the new run. The trick is getting the new cable through the wall at the far end—like the garage box. To handle this more efficiently and avoid any issues with pulling or installing, consider setting up a WiFi system in the house. Installing WiFi is much simpler than this job, and for larger or multi-level homes, you can use extenders to expand coverage. Good luck, and let me know your choice!
The house is roughly twenty years old. There’s a full floor above it and an attic. I’m weighing whether to cut through walls to locate and remove existing cabling or install new cables in the large crawl space between levels or up to the attic and into the current outlets. Regarding Wi-Fi, we already have UniFi 6 units inside walls in three spots and a few U6 routers for coverage based on the mapping done with the wifi man utility. I’m considering upgrading to 10Gbe+ cabling instead of setting up a separate Wi-Fi system, since it would support our AD, Plex server, NAS, and remote computing needs with better performance for large data sets. We used a previous Wi-Fi mesh system, but the delays and instability caused by concrete walls and room distances made it unsustainable.
This situation is quite frustrating. Breaking into walls to run cables won’t be easy and will likely require significant expenses for repairs afterward unless you handle the work yourself. Among the things to avoid, painting and plastering walls stand out. You mentioned ample crawl space between floors—does that imply sufficient room for movement? If yes, I’d probably choose a path that starts from the bottom floor, moves upward through that area, and then extends wherever needed. Should there be space in the middle between floors, I’d likely use it to run cables down from above, making the crawl space the primary route. Regardless of the approach, it won’t be an enjoyable task.
Running cables can be quite monotonous. When I was stationed in Zaragoza, Spain, internet wasn’t available at all—only dial-up and fax existed. I managed to lay phone lines across a large area, which wasn’t very exciting. For some odd reason, I still consider an over-the-air network a better option to skip crawling through that space. However, my expertise in this area is limited.
The house we own was originally wired for cable TV 26 years ago. Shortly after, we installed Cat5 throughout the house—living room, bedrooms, attic, etc.—which was a real challenge. A few years later, we switched to a Netgear mesh Wi-Fi system. This setup works well in our space of 2100 square feet. It includes a base unit in my office and slave units in the game room and the wife’s office. My download speeds are over 900 Mbps, with about 60 Mbps upload.
We don’t have a server, but I’m working on assembling parts to create a shared drive for my 400+ DVD collection. I also share our TV onto the home network, so I can stream movies on the big screen. No matter the plan, it will cost money. This is just how technology operates—especially when upgrading or building something new.
I understand wanting stability with 10Gb connections, but it’s hard to predict what’s next. It seems inevitable that something like “over-the-air” networking will emerge. For instance, Linus has set up internet in remote locations using satellite links. If you’re considering a similar path, keep an eye on developments.
Regardless of the route, it’ll be worthwhile to plan carefully. Paper and colored pencils help a lot—thank you for using them! I hope you find this advice useful and wish you success with your project. Stay safe and let me know your choice.